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Briefs

Pakistan Security Brief

Airstrikes kill up to 50 militants on June 17; Cities across Pakistan ramp up security efforts to prevent militant reprisal; TTP infighting kills eight; Curfew continues while residents trapped in North Waziristan Agency; Sharif urges Karzai to close Pak-Afghan border as refugees flee into Afghanistan; Police and protesters clash in Lahore, six killed and 80 injured; Former Prime Minister Gilani granted bail in corruption case.

North Waziristan Offensive

Airstrikes destroyed six militant hideouts and an improvised explosive device (IED)-making factory near Haso Khel, North Waziristan Agency early on the morning of June 17. The strikes killed 25 “foreign and local” militants. Dawn reported that operations on June 17 included two separate airstrikes. Airstrikes in Haso Khel and Datta Khel areas killed at least 15 suspected militants and airstrikes in Mir Ali sub-district killed at least 10 suspected militants. Reporting by The News gave higher figures and said airstrikes on June 17 killed 50 or more militants and destroyed up to eight militant hideouts. The News also reported that Operation Zarb-e-Azb has killed 200 militants in the first three days. According to The Express Tribune, airstrikes from the start of the operation on June 15 until June 17 have killed 190 militants.[1]

Ground forces cordoned off and sealed the areas around militant hideouts in North Waziristan including the towns of Mir Ali and Miram Shah. Pakistan Army forces shot and killed 3 militants attempting to flee the area, one soldier was wounded in the exchange of fire.[2]

The Pakistani military’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on June 17 that the army has yet to launch a full ground operation in the settled areas of North Waziristan in order to restrict militants from escaping cordoned off areas and ensure all internally displaced persons (IDPs) can safely evacuate the area. Pakistani air surveillance reportedly continues to monitor the operational area.[3]

On June 17, authorities in all major cities and towns continued efforts to prevent militant reprisal in the wake of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and protect key government offices, sensitive locations and public places. Authorities in Sindh declared a “red alert” and imposed Section 144, which includes a ban on public gatherings. The government deployed extra police and Rangers personnel across all cities with the Pakistan Army as a back-up and “quick-response” force. Authorities in Karachi focused security efforts on parts of the city considered “militant strongholds.” Soldiers and authorities ramped up security efforts in North Waziristan with “comprehensive checks” and “search operations” at internally displaced person (IDP) camps. The Army deployed its 111 Brigade in Islamabad for “patrolling and other duties” and to enhance the security situation there.[4]

Sources said on June 17 that only those militants who surrender would be spared, and that Operation Zarb-e-Azb will not differentiate between militants of different hues. According to The News, Operation Zarb-e-Azb targets “the TTP, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and anti-Pakistan al-Qaeda elements.” The charity group linked to terror organization Lahskar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), demanded on June 17 that the military operation be “confined to anti-state elements” without harming the tribal elements friendly to the regime.[5]

The State Department said Pakistan alone planned and spearheaded Operation Zarb-e-Azb, with no involvement from the United States.[6]

Militant Activity

Clashes between the Sajna and Shehryar Mehsud factions of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) left eight people dead and ten injured in Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency.[7]

Militants allegedly linked to the TTP attacked a police checkpoint in Torghar district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province and injured four police officers.[8]

Refugees and North Waziristan Offensive

Geo News reported on June 17 that at least 500,000 people remained trapped in North Waziristan as the Operation entered its third day, but officials continued to close all entry and exit points of the agency and maintained a curfew. Pakistani officials left open the possibility of lifting the curfew to allow civilians trapped in districts adjacent to North Waziristan Agency to leave. Locals said that most militants had already left Miram Shah, Mir Ali and the adjacent villages, leaving civilians vulnerable to air strikes and artillery. Elders of North Waziristan Agency demanded the government end the curfew and allow locals to escape the warzone.[9]

Pak-Afghan Relations

On June 17, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan criticized the Afghan government’s decision to provide “refuge and incentives” to refugees from North Waziristan taking shelter in Afghanistan. The Afghan government reported that over 6,000 people from North Waziristan have fled to Khost province in Afghanistan due to the recent operation and provided Pakistani tribesmen with shelter “on humanitarian grounds.” Afghan officials established a camp in the Gurbaz district of Khost province for the hundreds of refugee families who have migrated to Afghanistan.[10]

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to close the porous Pak-Afghan border. The Pakistani government requested that the Afghan National Army “seal off entry points into Paktia, Khost and Paktika.”[11]

Lahore Model Town Incident

Seven civilians were killed and 80 injured during a clash between policeman and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) supporters on June 17 in Lahore’s Model Town area in Punjab Province. Police officials report that the clashes started after the police visited the office of cleric and PAT leader Tahirul Qadri on the night of June 16. PAT supporters then attempted to stop the police operation and began to fight with and throw stones at police. The police allegedly responded with additional personnel and used tear gas to disperse the protesters and remove barriers surrounding Qadri’s house. Protesters died during the ensuing clashes. Police arrested up to 80 protesters.[12]

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif promised to resign if found responsible for the clash between police and protesters on June 17. He announced the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the incident and pledged to give Rs 3 million ($30,400) in financial aid to the families of those who died in the incident. Inspector General of Police in Punjab Mushtaq Sukhera pledged to launch an additional internal investigation along with the judicial investigation into the incident. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan called for the resignations of Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Inspector General of Police in Punjab Mushtaq Sukhera.[13]

Karachi Airport Attack Responses

On June 17, Hong Kong air carrier Cathay Pacific announced its decision to suspend indefinitely all flights to and from Pakistan following the TTP attack on Karachi airport on June 8. The announcement followed a warning from TTP militants on June 16 to international firms and airlines to stop all operations in Pakistan or face reprisal.[14]

Gilani Corruption Case

Former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, facing 12 corruption charges, was granted bail by a federal anti-corruption court on June 17 in Karachi.[15]